Gallery: Urban Planning Ideas for 2030, When Billions Will Live in Megacities
Courtesy NLÉ and Zoohaus/Inteligencias Colectivas and MoMA01lagos376
A new exhibit opens at MoMA tomorrow. Called *Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Growing Megacities*, it looks at how urban planners could work informal housing developments to make megacities more livable.
Courtesy NLÉ and Zoohaus/Inteligencias Colectivas and MoMA02lagos293
This is an imagined view of Lagos, Nigeria, in 2050. Thirty percent of Lagos is currently underwater, leading to "water slum" housing, and the roads are congested with SUVs. Architects propose embracing the water to create transportation and economic opportunity, like in Venice or Amsterdam.
Courtesy NLÉ and Zoohaus/Inteligencias Colectivas and MoMA03lagos165
By transforming existing infrastructure, like gas generators, into architecture for renewable energy, Lagos would go off the grid.
Courtesy MAP Office and MoMA04hongkong293
Hong Kong's population is growing fast, but the city is mostly surrounded by water. Architects propose building eight new islands off the coast, each one dedicated to an economic activity. This one is the island of surplus, where waste gets sent for future use.
Courtesy Superpool and MoMA05istanbul353
Istanbul's middle class aspires to live in TOKIs, gated communities where everyone owns a car, many gadgets, and could soon be in debt. This rendering shows what TOKIs could be like if they turn into new-age communes and embracing car, compost, and service sharing, along with solar panels and local gardens.
Courtesy URBZ and MoMA06mumbai135
Almost 12 million of Mumbai's residents live in informal "tool houses," slum-like structures where people live and work. Rather than razing these for high-rises, architects propose validating them.
Courtesy URBZ and MoMA07mumbai281
Part of the proposal includes investing and developing new lightweight construction materials to allow ad-hoc spaces to be built safely.
Courtesy Cohabitation Strategies (COHSTRA) and MoMA08newyork156
Luxury developments have created a housing shortage for many New Yorkers. That leads to rent burden and illegally subdivided apartments. Housing Cooperative Trusts are proposed here, in which the city, non-profits, community stakeholders, and tenants would all co-own rehabilitated buildings and ensure long-term affordable housing.
Courtesy SITU Studio and MoMA09newyork285
Community Growth Organizations would also form, to turn underutilized spaces—like yards and rooftops—into pockets of economic activity. (To be fair, this type of local urban planning is already underway in New York.)
10rio246
Rio is well known for its favelas. The urban planners for this project decided to create a new consumer catalog that encourages people to build add-ons.
Courtesy RUA Arquitetos and MAS Urban Design, ETH Zurich and MoMA11rio334
That catalog would be called Veranda Products. By selling consumer goods that make ad-hoc building easier, the city could foster small-scale entrepreneurial projects, and therefore give poorer *cariocas* access to more economic activity.
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell
‘They’re Fucking a Lot of People’: 7-OH Users Brace for DEA Ban
The opioid-like compound, which is found in kratom, can cause brutal withdrawal symptoms and will soon be a controlled substance. Some users tell WIRED it has relieved their pain and anxiety.
Manisha Krishnan
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
Javier Carbajal
Hugging Face Has a Deepfake Nudes Problem
Researchers tested top image editing models on Hugging Face and found they could easily create explicit deepfakes—and 1,000 image editing prompts show how people use the software.
Matt Burgess
Top Ulta Beauty Promo Codes: 50% Off
Shop the latest beauty trends and save big using an Ulta promo code for beauty tech, makeup, and more.
Boutayna Chokrane